


Quite a Personable Android

by starprise_entership



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: M/M, takes place during birthright part 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 05:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12247548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starprise_entership/pseuds/starprise_entership
Summary: Julian can't help but find Data mesmerising upon meeting him.





	Quite a Personable Android

“I must admit, Commander,” Julian starts, “I didn’t think you’d be so...personable.” He hesitates a little, trying to figure out whether ‘personable’ or ‘handsome’ should go in that blank.

 _Damn it, Julian, you’re captivated by that android._ Then again, was it wrong to be mesmerised by him? For one thing, Data was a masterpiece. _Sixty trillion operations per second. A storage of eight hundred quadrillion bits._ These were already things he knew, from the journals and the reports. But there was something more, about Data. Something that went past all the wiring and the positronic brain nets and the synthetic flesh - something very distinctly (but not quite) human.

 _Data, human? Impossible._ Julian waves off a thought. _He’s an android._ But yet there Data was. He’d only seen a glimpse of the professional side of Data, but it was captivating enough for Julian to want to find out so, so much more about him.

 _What does an android do in his spare time? Does an android feel happiness? Grief? Does an android have the capability to fall in love?_ Julian chases a few more thoughts into the back of his mind before he spurts them out and he has to stuff his foot in his mouth to avoid embarrassing himself. Those were deeply personal questions, and maybe he should start with the basics.

Like his hair. Data’s hair was a pleasant shade of brown, and slicked back. It looked silky, Julian noted, and he wondered whether Data had a hair regime. Or if Data’s hair ever grew at all. 

And his eyes. _Eyes are the window to the soul_ , the old saying goes. A sharp yellow, Julian wondered what lay behind those eyes. _Does Data have a soul?_ Another thought pops into his head, and he waves it off yet again. Putting that aside, Julian finds that Data’s eyes complement his face very well.

His eyes graze over Data’s hand. It’s a pale, powdery white, and it looks soft. _Synthetic skin. Does Data experience physical sensations?_ Another question, and Julian can’t help but blush a little when he imagines slipping his hand into Data’s. 

“Doctor,” Data brings up, snapping Julian back to reality, “forgive me for pointing this out, but you seem a bit jumpy. From your stiff posture, I can tell that you are agitated, or nervous.”

 _That’s not helping, Data. That's not helping at all. Pointing it out only makes it worse._ “I’m fine, Data.” Julian gives a smile, hoping to assure Data.

“You are flushing.” Data cocks his head a tad to the left. “I take this as a normal response for humans, for when they are feeling embarrassed. However, I cannot find the cause of this change in your demeanour. Tell me, Doctor. I have always wanted to investigate human emotions, as I cannot feel them myself.”

“Well,” Julian lets out, “I’m just very, very nervous.”

“Very, very nervous?” Data asks. “I do not understand.”

Julian crosses his arms. “Well, it feels like a rush to the head. Thoughts might run wild. It feels like there’s a lot going on at the same time.”

“Oh.” Data gives a small nod, and a tiny grin shows. “Thank you, Doctor.” For a second, Julian’s gaze lands on Data’s lips, and as he turns away he can’t help but imagine how kissing them would feel like. _Has Data ever kissed anyone?_

“Oh, it’s Julian.” Julian blurts before he can stop himself. “I mean, you could call me that, if you’d like.”

“Julian.” Data pronounces the word smoothly, and stops. “But I still do not understand the cause of this, nervousness.”

Julian shrugs. “It just happens. Like all other human emotions.” _This conversation better stop now, or I’m going to ruin everything._

“Like all other human emotions.” Data repeats, and he looks on with a programmed, blank expression, knowing that understanding emotions could might as well be an impossible task, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.


End file.
